Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia, Thursday, for a two-day visit, which comes amid intense tensions between the United States and the two countries, according to what was reported.CNNAccording to a source familiar with the trip, an Arab diplomatic source and two senior Arab officials.
The four sources said that Xi’s visit to Riyadh will include a Chinese-Arab summit and a Chinese-Gulf conference.
It is expected that at least 14 Arab heads of state will attend the Chinese-Arab summit, according to the Arab diplomatic source, who described the visit as a “milestone” for Arab-Chinese relations.
Rumors of this Chinese presidential visit to the largest ally of the United States in the Middle East have been circulating for months, but it has not been confirmed by the governments of Saudi Arabia and China.
Beijing has not made any official announcement about the visit.
Over the past week, the Saudi government has sent registration forms to journalists to cover the summit, without confirming exact dates. The Saudi government refused to respond to CNN’s request for information about Xi’s visit and the planned meetings.
The United States and Saudi Arabia are still at odds over oil production, which culminated in October with strong rhetoric and mutual accusations when the Saudi-led OPEC Plus oil group cut production by two million barrels per day in an attempt to stabilize prices. The decision was taken despite an American campaign against it.
China, the economic giant in the east, is at odds with the United States over Taiwan, which US President Joe Biden has pledged, several times, to protect in the event of a Chinese attack.
However, China and Saudi Arabia have taken different positions towards the West regarding the Ukraine war.
Both refrained from supporting sanctions against Russia, and Riyadh confirmed that Moscow is a major partner in energy production, and should be consulted on OPEC+ decisions.
After the massive cut in oil production last month, some US officials accused Saudi Arabia of aiding Russia and President Vladimir Putin in his war on Ukraine, according to CNN.
Analysts told Archyde.com that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is hosting the Chinese leader this week at a sensitive moment in US-Saudi relations, indicating Riyadh’s determination to deal with a polarized world order regardless of the wishes of its Western allies, according to the agency.
In a show of strength as an aspiring leader of the Arab world, Prince Mohammed will also gather rulers from across the Middle East and North Africa for a China-Arab summit during President Xi Jinping’s visit, which is expected to start on Tuesday, according to the agency.
Archyde.com quoted Ayham Kamel, head of the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, as saying, “Riyadh is working according to strategic calculations that must accommodate Beijing, because it is now an indispensable economic partner.”
Analysts told the agency that although the United States remains the preferred partner for the Gulf countries that depend on it for its security, Riyadh is drawing a foreign policy that serves its national economic transformation as the world moves away from hydrocarbons, the lifeblood of Saudi Arabia.
“There is certainly a risk that expanding relations with China will backfire and lead to (further) division in US-Saudi relations,” Kamel added.
Xi’s visit comes at a time when US-Saudi relations are at a low point and uncertainty casts a shadow over global energy markets, with the West imposing a ceiling on Russian oil prices and at a time when Washington is warily eyeing China’s growing influence in the Middle East.
The Saudi government did not respond to Archyde.com requests for comment on Xi’s visit and its agenda.